NATC2048 ends with a prize. Upon completion, the band's cover art for their album Simple appears. Nightmare and the Cat's unconventional release method comes at a time when musicians are exploring new ways to promote and distribute their material, as they battle for attention in a crowded music industry that is driven by social media, streaming, downloads and YouTube.

A side-by-side comparison of 2048 (left) and NATC2048 (right).

Image: 2048 and NATC2048

Like 2048, the premise is simple, as the rules explain: "Use your arrow keys to move the tiles. When two tiles with the same design touch, they merge into one!"

But if that's hard to understand, let Nightmare and the Cat singer Django Stewart explain:

The game and album cover, below, incorporate designs from artist Gary Baseman:

Image: Artist Gary Baseman/Capital Records

Simple comes out July 22, though it's available for pre-order now. It features the single "Undercover," which already has an artsy lyric video:

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